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The quest for a natural deodorant that actually works

April

Veteran

I have spent the past year looking for an underarm product that's effective and that doesn't have a sickening scent.

Let me be clear about the nature of this problem, in case others have experienced the same thing. It's not that I'm super-sensitive to fragrances. I love perfume and wear it daily. It's that no matter how pleasant the scent of an antiperspirant is in the container, once it has been "working" for a few hours, something in my chemistry makes it start to smell absolutely nauseating. (Not stinky-human nauseating, but like what someone on another blog referred to as "flowery pit death.") Unscented versions do the same thing. And Certain Dri.

After deciding that anti-perspirants just don't mesh well with me, I have been trying pretty much every natural deodorant known to man.

Anyone who's been on this quest has encountered a depressing fact about most natural deodorants: they don't work. (Honestly, if you can get by with a quick swipe from one of those crystals, we're not talking about the same problem.)

I've had the most success with a heavy layer of roll-on Liquid Rock from Kiss My Face, in the Lavender scent, but it doesn't always make it through an entire hot, sticky day.

Recently, though, I read about a mail-order deodorant by Root Beauty, which is kind of a paste that comes in a little jar. Expensive, but apparently lasts a long time.

Coconut oil, baking soda, arrowroot, and rosemary oil. That's it.

It arrived yesterday, and I tried it out. I was moving furniture and lugging a heavy vacuum in a room without air conditioning yesterday and by the end of the day, the Root Beauty was still working. Even when I woke up this morning it seemed to still be effective.

I'm thrilled. Just passing this along to others who have been looking for a natural alternative to drugstore products that develop an icky scent on you.

General

24 replies

Latest reply was from gradfashionista

Sparky

Veteran

April, if you find that working for you, you might consider making your own so as to cut down on the cost. I've been making my own deodorant for years using coconut oil, shea butter, baking soda and cornstarch, with a few drops of essential oils thrown in for a little scent (optional). Truly super cheap! I was so skeptical until I tried it. There are tons of "recipes" on the Internet if you want to explore that idea.

(HI everyone!)

Peri

Veteran

Does this keep you dry too? I hate that damp feeling...not flat out sweating, just sticky!

juliamay

That's great that you've found a product that works, but in your list of ingredients, all easily accessible, I think you've got yourself a recipe!

Julia in Woodinville

Golden

Veteran

I have toyed with making my own deodorant, but I am worried the oils might stain my clothes permanently. Does anyone have experience with this concern?

pastrygirl

(website)

Veteran

Peri, no they don't keep you dry. You just don't end up with B.O.!

I used to order one online but completely forgot about it! I had great success for years with another drugstore one, but it changed or I changed and it no longer works. I'm experimenting with two other ones right now, but I can't make it through a full day with either one. I can, however, make it through a workout without stinking!

Marlene

Veteran

I'm having the same challenge. I'm quickly going through all the various products on the shelf and none working. I've been thinking of making my own. But I may wait until this heat wave is over so I get a true result

"flowery pit death" that's a pretty accurate description of what is going on in my own pits. Sheesh!

April

Veteran

Peri, no -- as PG said, they don't keep you dry. But for me that was less of a concern than the weirdly unpleasant smells produced by anti-perspirants. I'm not super-sweaty, just apparently have this odd response to the things that are supposed to make you smell good.

PG, I did read in my journeys that people become "immune" to their underarm products over time. A dermatologist recommended changing things up every six months or so to keep them effective.

Sparky and Juliamay -- I did find a lot of people online talking about making their own mixtures. Frankly, I thought they were the "one swipe of my crystal stick and I'm good to go" types, but now I'm rethinking.

Marlene -- it's awful, isn't it? It's even worse than the smell of sweat, though I don't want that either.

Golden, I can't speak for other mixtures, but the Root Beauty recipe does not feel oily at all. It's a paste, with a slightly gritty texture. I doubt it will stain my clothes but will watch for that.

Gigi

Veteran

I'm in the natural deodorant camp too, and I find that the crystal just doesn't do it! But I haven't had your problem either (with the fragrances). The one I'm using now I love and sounds similar to yours: Soapwalla Deodorant Cream. It's got more ingredients, but the ingredients are similar (baking soda, clays, oils, essential oils). I've been using it about a month and have been very pleased with it.

The one I used to use was Herbal Magic roll-on by Home Health Products. I still use it occasionally (I have some to use up), but it doesn't work as well in the high heat.

And I will back up what pastrygirl says: the natural deodorants don't keep you dry. However, I have found that the Soapwalla doesn't let me get as wet as the Home Health Products roll-on. I think it is because there are clays in the Soapwalla one that probably absorb some of the moisture.

I'd love to try your recipe, Sparky!

pastrygirl

(website)

Veteran

Oh! The Home Health Herbal Magic roll-on is one of the ones that I'm currently testing out. The other one is Herbal Clear Aloe Fresh stick.

I also keep a spray deodorant (EO Organics lavender) in my car that doesn't work very well, but smells nice for when I need a touch-up.

amiable

Veteran

I've been making my own with the same ingredients (except Rosemary oil) for months now, and find that it works better than any commercial version I've ever tried. So glad that another has found it too (And yes, it's very easy to make your own. Mine is equal parts baking soda and arrowroot, with enough coconut oil to make it mix together into a paste (more in winter, less in summer). And a few drops of essential oil for scent, if I remember....

Sparky

Veteran

Gigi and others, here's how I make my deodorant ~

around 2 T (sometimes 2 T plus 2 t) coconut oil
2 T unrefined shea butter
2 T baking soda
2/3 cup cornstarch
Drops of essential oils for scent

If the coconut oil and shea butter are hard and solid (they usually are unless we're in a heat wave), I nuke them in the microwave to soften them to a more lotion like consistency. Then I add the other items and mix up well, then put them in little jars and let them harden up. Scoop a little bit out with a finger (about a pea size amount for each underarm) to apply. EOs that work nicely for the deodorant, at least to my taste ~ tangerine/orange with some peppermint, vanilla alone or with sandalwood. I like the idea of rosemary!

Marlene

Veteran

Oooh, I'd LOVE some recipes that I could try out. So if anyone has a recipe that they can share, I'd be so grateful. Overall, I am having reactions to all sorts of fragrances and chemicals and starting to replace everything. I'm making my own moisturizer and serums now. And I wash my face with oil. My skin is really settling down. Once I switched out all my skin care to my DIY versions, and my face started looking calmer and fresher, then my pits started acting up. Between the odd smell and the prickly itching, its pretty uncomfortable!

avicennia

Veteran

Thank you for starting this discussion, April. I'm going to try Sparky's recipe.

April

Veteran

PG, I also love the EO Lavender -- and yes, it's more a spritz of fragrance than a real deodorant. It's so rare to find lavender products that really and truly smell like real, true lavender.

Marlene

Veteran

Unless you start rubbing an actual lavender sprig under there!

cciele

Veteran

Thanks for the recommendation April! I'll have to check it out.
I'm currently using the Pit Stick from Primal Life Organics:
http://www.primallifeorganics....../deodorant

It's about as simple as it gets: coconut oil, baking soda or arrowroot powder, beeswax. Plus scents if you want. Has been working for me and my daughter (preteen, you know how "fragrant" they can get!) so far.

I certainly can make my own, but I rather like having it it a freshly made push-up format

Astrid

Veteran

Thanks for the tip! I have had similar problems and I've been eyeing some deodorant paste myself, but I've been hesitant to order it. I might do so now...

April

Veteran

I have to say, I'm astonished that a product based on baking soda could work so well.

Baking soda? Sheesh.

After all the money I've spent trying to solve this problem, to find out that something so ridiculously simple, cheap, and available, could do the trick is quite humbling.

amiable

Veteran

Marlene - here's a link to the recipe that I use:
http://www.passionatehomemakin.....orant.html

Sparky

Veteran

One note of caution ~ some people react to baking soda in deodorants, getting an itchy rash. The rash goes away as soon as you stop using the item with baking soda. My DH gets it, as do others I know. So it's not for everyone. DH uses something else on a regular basis, but is fine using my homemade stuff for short stretches. Just something to keep in mind!

Gigi

Veteran

Amiable and Sparky, thanks for the recipes!

I think the reason that rosemary is used in some of these natural products is that it is supposed to be antibacterial. Thyme oil is too. But you might have to use certain "chemotypes" of the oil, as both rosemary and thyme oil are extremely irritating to the skin. The chemotypes linalool (for thyme) and verbenone (for rosemary) are better suited for applying on the skin.

April, don't beat yourself up too badly! I think that baking soda applied directly to the armpits without other stuff mixed in would probably be very irritating, because the pH doesn't match that of the skin. I am wondering with some of the recipes posted here how the final product matches with the skin's pH. So creating a natural deodorant that works, at least if you are extremely sensitive, can be trickier than it sounds.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for starting this discussion, April. I'm super curious to try out one of these.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I recently switched to Soft and Dry aluminum free deodorant. It has a light baby powder scent but agrees with me. It's not as effective as an anti perspirant but is sufficient for me. Most of all I'm happy not to be ruining my white shirts from anti perspirants. I'm not a super sweaty person, I just need a little help. I got the product at Walmart. I was surprised at how few deodorants are now available.

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

Waleda makes a spray deodorant in rosé and citrus. The smell fades quickly and as far as deodorants are concerned, it works well. No funky smells.

I also make my own using coconut oil, corn starch, my favourite scented cream, and a few drops of tea tree oil and peppermint oil. The smell is pleasant and mild.